Shannon Talbot - Human Connection Expert

Eleven years ago, my husband and I drove to Ottawa to adopt our second son.

The car was packed with baby gear.
Our hearts were full.

We met him.
Held him.
Fell in love instantly.
And left that day thinking we’d return tomorrow to bring him home.

But then the phone rang.

The adoption agency said the birth parents might be having second thoughts.
We should head back to Toronto.
And wait.

That drive home was silent.
We were heartbroken.
Numb.
Unsure how to explain to friends — or to our two-year-old — that we weren’t bringing his baby brother home after all.

Then a great song came on.
We turned it up.
We sang.
We cried.

And for a few minutes, the music held what we couldn’t say out loud.

But it wasn’t just the song.

It was the people.
The ones who checked in without asking questions.
The boss who said, “Whatever you need, I’m here.”
The ones who reminded us we weren’t alone.

And here’s what I know now, 11 years later:

Life doesn’t always go the way we plan.
But in the hardest, most uncertain moments, we’re often surrounded by more support than we realize.

Sometimes it shows up as a person.
Sometimes as a song.
Sometimes as a quiet reminder that we’re not carrying it all on our own.

And somehow, even in the waiting… we find a way forward.

We ended up waiting the full 28-day waiting period that birth parents have to change their minds in Ontario before bringing our Zack home but it was well worth the wait. 💙